The former North Carolina State quarterback is getting a jump on learning the team's offensive system during a minicamp for rookies that began Friday and is looking forward to competing for a role as a backup to starter Josh Freeman, who's entering the final year of his contract.

Glennon was the third quarterback selected in the draft behind Florida State's E.J. Manuel and West Virginia's Geno Smith. He has the size and arm strength the Bucs like in a quarterback and is not a stranger to being No. 2 on a depth chart, having served as a backup to Russell Wilson for three years in college.

“As a competitor you want to be out on the field ... but learning from Russell was a great experience,” said Glennon, who started his final 26 games with the Wolfpack after Wilson transferred to Wisconsin. Glennon finished his college career with 7,411 passing yards, 63 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.

“He does all the right things off the field,” Glennon said of Wilson. “He's an extremely sharp guy. He works hard and prepares. It doesn't come as a surprise that he's doing so well.”

Wilson was a third-round pick a year ago, won Seattle's starting job during training camp and led the Seahawks to the playoffs as a rookie.

The Bucs hope Glennon catches on quickly, too, however they aren't counting on him to play right away.

Freeman is heading the final season of the contract he signed as the 17th overall pick of the 2009 draft. He's coming off year in which he became the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer and also set a record for 27 TD passes, but his career also has been marked with inconsistency and he's yet to lead Tampa Bay to the playoffs.

General manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano have made it clear that Freeman's the unquestioned starter. Glennon will compete with veteran Dan Orlovsky for No. 2.

Before traveling to Florida for minicamp, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Glennon reached out to Wilson “to pick his mind and hear how he handled things,” Glennon said.

“He's a man on a mission, and you can hear it in the way he talks. He just kind of told me to take it one day at a time and try to get better each and every day. Don't worry about the long run,” the native of Centreville, Virginia added. “If you just get better each and every day, eventually good things will happen. I think that was great advice.”

Like the Bucs, Glennon feels he's a good fit for a system that thrived last season on a solid running game, play-action and throwing the ball down the field.

Page 2 of 2 - The third-round pick is not fazed by the perception that this year's draft was thin at quarterback. Manuel was a first-round pick, while Smith went in Round Two.

“I'm confident in what I can do,” Glennon said. “Obviously you want to go as high as you can in the draft, but it's not all about that. It's about the longevity of your career, and I think coming to Tampa Bay is a good situation for that.”

The 22-year-old plans to immerse himse3lf in the playbook and learn the offense as quickly as possible while also beginning to build relationships with his new teammates.

He sent text messages to the other quarterbacks on the roster after being selected No. 1xx overall, and received a call back from Freeman.

“It was good to hear from him. He just said he's excited to have me here, that the quarterbacks are a tight group and he looks forward to me kind of joining the family,” the rookie said. “It was really encouraging talking to him.”